Chatter from the Trees, Buzzin with the Bees

We're going to Be Famous...

Posted by Green River Preserve on February 28, 2008 | 0 Comments

OK...Maybe not FAMOUS, but we're going to be on TV!!! Fox TV from Charlotte, NC came out this week to film us here at the Green River Preserve. Jon Wilson, with Fox News in the Morning came out and filmed Sandy, Missy and Paul all over camp. Those of you that get Fox Charlotte, stay tuned in and look out for us on TV! Once we know the air date and time, I'll be sure to let you know!!!!

Also...Sandy is on another TV show! He'll be on UNC-TV's Exploring North Carolina, with NC Governor Mike Easley and Liz Baird of the NC Museum of Natural Science. It'll air on March 6th at 8:30 pm and March 7th at 9:30 pm. Don't miss this awesome opportunity to see Sandy on TV! Let us know what you think!!!!

A Green River Adventure

Posted by Green River Preserve on January 7, 2008 | 0 Comments

Some GRP friends, Ryan, Kelly and Leah, set out in December for a kayaking adventure they like to call..."Source to Sea". Their goal was to follow the Green River from the source (behind Sandy and Missy's house at GRP) all the way to the sea! Here is what Ryan wrote to us after the trip:

"As a tribute to the GRP, Kelly, Leah and I decided to have a "source to sea" grand slam for wildlife. The 4 species were: bald eagle, river otter, alligator, and a dolphin. We saw plenty of eagles, a few otters, 2 gators, and on our last day a handful of dolphins coming up the cooper river to feed. Unbelievable! We also saw about 40 species of birds, a lot of deer (including a family running through the rapids), many beaver, turtles, and a variety of fish. We met some interesting folks along the way who were fascinated by the whole idea of following a river from its source to the ocean and helped us out when we needed it most."

Pam's great adventures

Posted by Green River Preserve on December 13, 2007 | 0 Comments

Pam Ritchie, Summer Program Coordinator at The Green River Preserve, just returned from some wild adventures during her vacation time!

I left Green River and went straight to my parents house in Shelby, NC, to help with last minute wedding odds and ends. My sister Amber, got married on November 17 to Seth Rickertsen. Both the Bride and Groom are teachers in Morganton. Seth teaches high school history and Amber drives the art bus for Burke county, sharing her love of art with children at different schools all over the county. The wedding was absolutely beautiful and lots of fun! I had a blast hanging out with my family and friends. I think my sister was the most beautiful bride ever!
The day after the wedding I jumped on an airplane and headed west to Idaho. I landed in Boise and traveled south to the desert to work a trip with a wilderness therapy program. Before I became the Summer Program Coordinator at The Green River Preserve, I was a wilderness instructor, working with at-risk youth. I spent two weeks in the freezing cold Idaho desert with an all girls group. My Thanksgiving was in the field with two other instructors and nine students. The kids get a special meal including, Cornish hens, sweet potatoes, stuffing, fry bread and even pumpkin pie. The entire day was spent relaxing, cooking over an open fire and talking with students about the things they are thankful for. This was my second Thanksgiving in the field and I loved being able to share it with a group of girls who are working to overcome some pretty intense obstacles in their lives. Being outside with only the necessities and working with these students really helps put what "being thankful" truly means into perspective.
Overall my trip in the desert was pretty exciting and event filled. I chased a student around one evening and woke up outside in the snow a few mornings. I feel good about the work that I did with my students and it was great to be able to go back to my old job and relax in the beautiful Idaho desert. I received my 30 week jacket (a big honor) and officially became a Master Instructor at the end of the two weeks. After my trip was over, I had a few days to hang around Idaho and visit with old friends. I headed back to NC on December 9th and after three plane rides, a five hour layover in Detroit and locating my lost luggage, I made it back to good old Hendersonville. I feel energized and excited about beginning my search for a great 2008 summer staff!

Staff Alumni News

Posted by Green River Preserve on December 4, 2007 | 0 Comments


---- Staff News & Notes from the 20th Reunion ----
Emily Poe is in Atlanta practicing Environmental Law. Yea!!! During the reunion Chip Small shared a story as a camper during the first summer GRP was open in 1988. Richard Moon is teaching art in Virginia and has two children. James Ruth is in Charlotte and the proud father of our first grandcamper, Michael. James also attended one of our Little Tree programs this fall as a parent chaperone. Both Richard and James told tales of rooming with Bob in the Mentor Lodge. We loved it! The Withrow Family, Star, Mary, and Carson Ellis, Vicki Burick, Heather Richardson, Brigid Fox, Kathleen Poe, Ryn Tate, Chip and Julie Small, Lindsay, and a slew of others were all here for a picnic and Council Fire with master of ceremonies, Bob Davis, the GRP musicians, including alumnae, Vicki and The Poe Show. Others who were not able to attend wrote or called with GRP stories and news of them. We loved hearing from Jamie McCormick, Katie Vogel,
Malinda Faber, Chris and Anna Paul, Lydia Berberick, Andrew Roe and many others. Thank you all for making our 20th Anniversary so memorable. We’re looking forward to the next 20 years!!!

---- Other Alumni News & Notes ----
We all missed a summer with Anna and Chris Paul, but heard from them often by email. They are with the Peace Corps stationed in Africa. Julia Sendor is a senior at Williams College and applying to the Peace Corps. Elizabeth Williams is a senior at Smith College and hoping to return to GRP next summer. YEA!!!! Josh Bellamy and Phil Pearce are both living in Chapel Hill. They keep up often with Jessie Nichols and Michelle Grimm. After Little Tree, Robin Weeks and Brian Roche headed to Aspen where they are living on a ranch. Robin is teaching ski lessons and Brian is working on the ranch. Edward Izard is in Golden, CO., where he has been working for Outward Bound and the Colorado Mountain School. Molly Waffle headed out to Silverton, CO. this fall where she met up with Anne Izard who was already living there. A GRP Colorado Reunion took place over Thanksgiving when Missy, Sandy, Catherine, Laurinda, Kat, and Jane headed that way and met up with everyone else. We’ve loved seeing lots of campers and staff at our fall reunions and look forward to seeing more of you during our Winter Road Show.

Alumni Invitation to Visit New Zealand

----- Dispatch from alumni Courney Brown ----

I have been in the Green River Preserve family since 1988 when my sister, Ashlyn (Brown) Montgomery and her husband, Mark, were counsellors the first summer camp was open! We grew up in Naples, Florida and I was a counsellor when I was a college student at Stetson University. I then went on to work as the Assistant Director the next 3 years. I love GRP and can truly say it is one of my favorite places on earth and some of my fondest memories were made there.

Today, I live in Opua, Bay of Islands, New Zealand with my husband, Sene Grant, who is a native 'Kiwi', my step-son, Sam, age 6, and daughter, Piper, 7 months old. Sene and I share mutual passions for the outdoors, travel adventures, conservation, children and youth, health and fitness, tai chi, helping others, organic gardening and family. We also share many of the same values that the GRP teaches. We try to live by the Woodcrafter Laws every day.

In 2006 we built Keewaydin Retreat, our Holistic Health Retreat for couples and individuals. Similar to GRP, we value the interconnectedness of all things and believe our Retreat is an ideal place to celebrate this 'way of life'! We invite all friends and family of GRP to come see us in idyllic 'Clean Green' New Zealand, and experience a Retreat with Soul. We'd love to have you.

Courtney Brown and Sene Grant
www.keewaydin.co.nz
retreat@keewaydin.co.nz
home + 64 9 402 7774
cell + 64 21 457 421

News from Emily

Posted by Green River Preserve on October 24, 2007 | 0 Comments

Hey Everyone!!! Just wanted to update you guys. I've been on the road traveling different places and hosting Reunions! They've been lots of fun and I've got to see many campers, staff and prospective campers.

We are continueing to travel through November and are still looking for families to volunteer to host a presentation at their home. If we schedule one before the end of December, Bob will come tell a story! Imagine inviting all your friends over to hear Bob's FAMOUS stories. Contact me at emily@greenriverpreserve.org if you would like more information.

Hope to see lots more of you on our Road Trips.

News from Sally Neas!!!!!

Posted by Green River Preserve on September 28, 2007 | 0 Comments

Sally Neas (Support Staff from this past summer...and counselor from 2006) has some exciting news that I would like to share:

Dearest Friends and Family,

This morning was glorious. I got out of lab early, drank a cup of delicious coffee, put on a very flattering pair of bike shorts and took a beautiful 18 mile bike ride atop the Cumberland plateau. Those are the exact perfect conditions to make this announcement: I am going to bike 150 miles in the National Multiple Sclerosis Society's annual "Bike to Jack and Back" ride!!! I will ride October 6-7th as a fundraiser for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, which funds research for a cure while also helping people who currently live with MS lead more fulfilling lives.

Like I said, this is a fundraiser. So, naturally I've got to raise some funds. $300 worth of them, to be exact. You all can help me in said "fundraising" by making a donation to the National MS Society. Although I would love any amount, even small donations such as $10 will help in my quest. So, larger donations would be nice... (IT'S TAX DEDUCTIBLE!!) You can mail checks or cash to me. If you do this, let me
know so I'll be looking for it. If you're in the Sewanee area, SPO is lovely. If not, here it is:

Sally Neas, bike riding extraordinaire
735 University Ave.
Sewanee, TN 37383
sneas@sewanee.edu

Or, if you want to put that extra 39 cents into the donation, make one online. Simply copy and paste the following link into your little top-of-the-page thing (navigator? web-broswer? I don't know what its called):

http://www.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR?px=4219558&pg=personal&fr_id=5220

So, email me back to hear more about the MS 150, my recent biking exploits, to let me know you're making a donation (this way you will get a lovely, hand written thank you note, made with 100% love!), or just to tell me how your life is going. Seriously, you can just email me to say hey even if you are not making a donation. I won't judge you. AND BONUS!! SPECIAL OFFER!! If you email me saying you're sending a donation and express some type of interest, I will tell you the hilarious story
about my first bike down and back up the Cumberland plateau (a pretty classic Sally story...). Thanks for your support everyone!

Much love!
Pura Vida!

Sally
Neas